For Immediate Release

CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch today commended the House Ways & Means Committee for supporting legislation to restore the Job Training Fund, which will help New Hampshire workers and employers better compete in the changing economy.

"Our state needs skilled workers to keep jobs in New Hampshire and to keep our state's economy strong. This legislation is an important investment in our state's economy that will pay large dividends for our workers and businesses," Gov. Lynch said. "By restoring the Job Training Fund we will allow our workers - and the companies that employ them - to continually master the new skills and new technologies they need to compete globally. This will help our companies grow and increase jobs for our citizens. I thank the House Ways & Means Committee for supporting this important piece of legislation."

The full House has previously given initial approval to Senate Bill 97, which dedicates up to $1 million a year from the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund toward job training. The full House will again vote on the bill next week.

The Senate unanimously passed the legislation.

New Hampshire first established the Job Training Fund in 2001, and the first grants were approved in January 2002. In 19 months, 169 grants were awarded to more than 100 different companies and nearly 5,400 workers were trained.

Senate Bill 97 will restore funding to the Job Training program by removing a link to the amount of money in the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. Instead, the bill provides funding for job training from the administrative portion of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. It does not require any general fund dollars, nor does it affect the fund that pays for unemployment benefits for workers. Companies are required to provide an equal match for any grant they receive.

The Business and Industry Association, several labor unions, the Departments of Resources and Economic Development, Labor and Employment Security, the New Hampshire Community Technical College System and the Workforce Opportunity Council, all support this important piece of legislation.

The bill is sponsored by Sens. David Gottesman, Martha Fuller Clark, Maggie Hassan, Harold Janeway and Sylvia Larsen.

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